Two pronouns together: me lo, se lo
Indirect before direct, and le/les + lo becomes se lo.
Part of the free A2 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
Sometimes you replace both objects: I give it to you**. Spanish then puts two pronouns side by side. You need the direct object pronouns from Direct object pronouns in full and the indirect ones from Indirect object pronouns and redundant le.
Rule 1: indirect first, then direct
The person pronoun (indirect) comes first, the thing pronoun (direct) second. Both go before a conjugated verb, as a block.
| Indirect | + lo / la / los / las |
|---|---|
| me | me lo, me la, me los, me las |
| te | te lo, te la... |
| nos | nos lo, nos la... |
| os | os lo, os la... |
- Te lo devuelvo mañana.I'll give it back to you tomorrow.
- Mi madre me la regaló.My mother gave it to me.
- ¿Nos lo explicas otra vez?Will you explain it to us again?
- Os las mando por correo.I'll send them to you by post.
Rule 2: le and les become se
Spanish never says le lo or les la. When le or les comes before lo, la, los, las, it changes to se:
| Instead of | say |
|---|---|
| se lo | |
| se la | |
| se los | |
| se las |
- Se lo di a Pedro.I gave it to Pedro.
- Se la enseñé a mis padres.I showed it to my parents.
- ¿Se lo envuelvo?Shall I gift-wrap it for you?
This se is not reflexive; it is just le or les in disguise. Because se can mean him, her, you or them, add a + person when it's not clear:
- Se lo dije a ella, no a él.I told her, not him.
The second pronoun still agrees with the thing: el regalo → se lo, la foto → se la, los libros → se los.
With an infinitive or a gerund
Both pronouns move together. Put them before the conjugated verb, or attach both to the end of the infinitive or gerund, adding an accent (Where pronouns go: before the verb, or attached):
- Quiero contártelo todo.I want to tell you all about it.
- Te la estoy preparando.I'm making it for you.
Te lo quiero contar = Quiero contártelo. Se lo voy a dar = Voy a dárselo. Commands with two pronouns (dímelo) are in Commands with pronouns: dímelo, no me lo digas.
Latin America
In speech in much of Latin America, people mark a plural "them" on the los: se los di for "I gave it to them" (one thing, several people). It's very common but not standard; write se lo di (a ellos). Also, with ustedes there is no os lo: Se lo mando (I'll send it to you all).
Common mistakes
Le lo di: le + lo becomes se lo: Se lo di.Lo te doy: person first: Te lo doy.- Splitting the pair:
Te voy a darlo→ Te lo voy a dar or Voy a dártelo. darselo: the stress now falls three syllables from the end, so write the accent: dárselo.- Thinking se means "himself" here: in se lo di it means "to him, her, you or them".
Practice
- ¿Me dejas tu cargador? — Sí, ahora _____ dejo.Options: te lo · lo te · te le · se lo
Show the answer
te lo — Person first, then thing: te lo.
- Ana quiere ver las fotos. ¿_____ enseñas?Options: Se las · Le las · Las le · Se los
Show the answer
Se las — Le + las → se las (las fotos is feminine plural).
- ¿La sal? Ahora _____ paso.
Show the answer
te la
- El jefe quiere el informe. Mañana _____ envío.
Show the answer
se lo — Le + lo → se lo.